The Adventure Club Afloat eBook

“No, thanks,” he said. “If
I was secretary I’d have to keep the accounts
and all that sort of thing, and I’m no good at
it. You’re the very fellow for the job,
Phil.”

The assemblage broke up shortly after, to meet again
that evening at eight, Steve undertaking to have a
map on hand then so that they might plan their cruise.
As none of the seven was bound to secrecy, what happened
is only what might have been expected. By the
time the ball game was half over Steve and Joe had
received enough applications for membership in the
Adventure Club to have, in Joe’s words, filled
an ocean liner. It is probable that a large proportion
of the applicants could not have obtained permission
to join the expedition, but they were each and all
terribly enthusiastic and eager to join, and it required
all of Steve’s and Joe’s diplomacy to turn
them away without hurting their feelings. Wink
Wheeler—­his real name was Warren, but no
one ever called him that—­refused politely
but firmly to take no for an answer. Wink said
he didn’t care where he bunked and that he never
ate anything on a boat, anyway, because he was always
too seasick to bother about meals.

“One more won’t matter, Steve,”
Wink pleaded. “Be a good chap and let me
in, won’t you? My folks are going out to
California this Summer and I don’t want to go,
and they’ll let me do anything I like. Tell
you what, Steve. If you’ll take me I’ll
buy something for the boat. I’ll make the
club a present of—­of a tender or an anchor
or whatever you say!”

Steve found it especially hard to turn Wink down,
because he liked the fellow, just as everyone else
did. Wink was eighteen and had been five years
getting through school, but he was a big, good-hearted,
jovial boy, and, as Steve reflected, one who would
be a desirable companion on such an adventure as had
been planned. Steve at last told Wink that he
would speak to the others about him that evening, but
that Wink was not to get his hopes up, and Wink took
himself off whistling cheerfully and quite satisfied.
But when Steve tentatively broached the matter of
including one more member in the person of Wink Wheeler,
Joe staggered him by announcing that he had promised
Harry Corwin to intercede for the latter.

“He pestered the life out of me,” explained
Joe ruefully, “and I finally told him I’d
ask you fellows. But I suppose we can’t
take two more. Nine would—­um—­be
rather overdoing it, eh?”

Everyone agreed that it would. Han suggested
that Wink Wheeler and Harry Corwin might toss up for
the privilege of joining the club. “After
all,” he added, “we aren’t all of
us certain that we can go. If one or two of us
drop out there’ll be room for Wink and Harry,
too.”

“Seems to me,” said Phil Street, “it
might be a good plan to enlarge the membership to,
say, twelve, and let the new members find a boat of
their own. I dare say they could. Then—­”

“Fine!” exclaimed Joe. “Harry
and his brother have some sort of a motor-boat.
He told me so today. That’s a bully idea,
Phil! With twelve of us we could divide up between
the two boats—­”